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As he readied himself for what may potentially be his last season as a professional, Rafael Nadal made certain to give himself ample time and preparation for whatever lay ahead. Following a serious hip injury at the Australian Open, he disregarded the entire 2023 season and only made a comeback at the start of the current year.
However, despite only a few matches into the current season, the 22-time grand slam winner experienced another setback with his body. In early January, Nadal withdrew from the Brisbane tournament due to a hip injury, causing him to miss the Australian Open and be sidelined for the past two months.
Nadal will make his comeback at Indian Wells this week, the first ATP/WTA 1000 tournament of the year. He aims to regain his strength and shape in preparation for the upcoming clay court season. The lingering inquiry remains: will he be able to maintain his physical well-being and consistently perform at the top level?
Nadal has faced numerous injuries throughout his career and has discussed the mental toll and recovery process associated with them. His time spent in rehabilitation has greatly impacted his daily life. Despite being 37 years old, he continues to show immense passion and motivation for his career and the demands it entails. However, he is reaching a limit for how many more setbacks he can handle.
Nadal has received encouraging news as there appear to be less uncertainties surrounding his performance. Despite only competing in three matches in January, he displayed a strong performance. His forehand remained powerful, he showcased good movement, and he compensates for his declining athleticism by utilizing his extensive range of shots. In his narrow defeat against Jordan Thompson in the quarter-finals of Brisbane, he seemed to struggle mentally and physically due to a lengthy break from competition.
Rafael Nadal will have an important first-round match against former No. 3 player Milos Raonic in Indian Wells. This matchup previously occurred in a Masters 1000 final 11 years ago in Toronto. Nadal currently leads the head-to-head record 8-2. The winner of this match will go on to face No. 7 seed Holger Rune in the second round. Despite their different styles of play, Nadal and Raonic have similarities in their current situations, with Raonic taking a break from tennis between 2021 and 2023 due to multiple injuries.
Despite only having a 7-6 record since his comeback, Raonic is known for having one of the most dominant serves in the history of tennis and he continues to stay competitive. He even managed to win a set against the in-form Alex de Minaur at the Australian Open and put up a tough fight against Jannik Sinner during his Rotterdam title victory last month. However, persistent injuries have forced him to retire from both of those matches. It appears that Raonic’s body is not handling the demands of professional tennis well and his career seems to be coming to an end. Nonetheless, he is determined to extend it as he prepares to face Nadal on Thursday evening.
In other news, Andy Murray is making a comeback to the sport following his recent admission that he may not have much time left in his career and will likely retire after this summer. In his first round, Murray will be facing a player who has yet to qualify, and the winner will move on to potentially face fifth seed Andrey Rublev in the second round. Rublev, who was disqualified from his semi-final match in Dubai last week for yelling in the face of a line umpire, has since had his points and prize money reinstated. However, Rublev’s statement about the incident did not include an apology to the line umpire, despite the umpire’s call being correct.
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Emma Raducanu is set to compete against a qualifier in her return to action. If she wins, she will face Dayana Yastremska, the semi-finalist of the Australian Open, in the second round. Katie Boulter, who had a phenomenal run to win the San Diego title, will play against Camila Giorgi in the first round. In the potential third round, she may face top seed Iga Swiatek. Jack Draper’s first round match will be against Christopher O’Connell, and the winner will take on Alexander Zverev. In the meantime, Dan Evans will face Roman Safiullin in round one.
Venus Williams, who is now 43 years old, will be participating in her initial tournament of the season. She will be facing a qualifier in the first round. All seeded competitors, such as Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, Sinner, Cameron Norrie, Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka, and Coco Gauff, have received a bye in the first round and will be making their first appearance on either Friday or Saturday.
Source: theguardian.com
